baldilocks

The Good Fights

Army Reservist Brad K. Torgersen eloquently attempts to get Reggie Rivers to see sweet reason; a losing battle, but a valiant one nonetheless.

Not all former athletes are as clue-immune as Mr. Rivers, however. Laker Legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has co-authored a book called Brothers in Arms: The Epic Story of the 761St Tank Battalion, WWII's Forgotten Heroes, chronicling the exploits of this battalion, the first black armored unit ever, serving during World War II. (Prior to its existence, all-black units had been support units, i.e. food service, supply, etc.)

Lots of irony located in this story: a Muslim (Abdul-Jabbar) celebrates the exploits of some of our soldiers who were known as...the Black Panthers. Here’s more from the article:

At Fort Hood, a young lieutenant fresh out of UCLA in the 761st was nearly court-martialed for refusing to move to the back of a bus. His commander refused to approve the court-martial, but the lieutenant was transferred to another unit and never saw combat. He missed his chance to be a war hero. But the man -- Jackie Robinson -- became a household name a few years later as the first black player in Major League Baseball.

And more:

Recognition came slowly. In 1978, the 761st Tank Battalion received a Presidential Unit Citation. In 1997, 53 years after giving his life on the battlefield, Staff Sgt. Rivers, whose family settled in the East Bay, was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.

(Thanks to Booker Rising)

The Standard

Those of us who pay attention to such things are constantly bombarded with the allegation of how racist this country is. Supposedly, no non-white man or woman in today’s society can make it without a hand up or a hand-out. Examples to the contrary are ignored by those making the allegation. And when someone who knows what he’s talking about--who actually lived through real racism and came out on top—who’s actually experienced the horrifying murder of his child at the hands of a racist—has the nerve to explicitly says that the “victims” of today’s “racism” actually have some responsibility in pulling themselves up out of the mire of poverty, the “Soul Patrol,” as Michael King so eloquently refers to the black racialists, is up in arms.

With this state of affairs in mind, I am constantly astonished by love that older black people have for this country. If I walk outside my home, I might see a flag or two flying in front of a house. Generally, there are three types of people here in the hood that will display the flag: Americans of Mexican descent, veterans and black Americans over sixty (in this house, there are people who fit into two of those categories).

For black Americans who’ve experienced explicit racism up close and personal, their love of this country is nothing short of a miracle.

We all know about December 7, 1941. In its wake, nearly the entire adult male population of the USA was mobilized in defense of this country and most of those who were able, answered the call.

As many may have forgotten, the American military wasn’t desegregated until after the end of WWII, under the direction of President Harry S. Truman. So my grandfather and uncles served this nation and did so proudly, when it still legally considered them second-class citizens.

With the exception of my step-father’s father—a crazy, fun, cigar-smoking, whiskey-drinking, gravelly-voiced old coot--all the World War Two vets in my family are gone (Grandpa is retired Air Force, too). I blogged about the one I was closest to here. (I always pick the flimsiest of pretexts to link to that post again. I love that portrait and want to share it all the time. Additionally, I'm constantly reminded of how much I love and miss the man portrayed in it.)

My great-aunt had a boyfriend—before she met and married the man described above--who served as an officer in one of those segregated units. He died in a fire fight on French soil and was buried there for years, until his family brought his body home to rest in the same cemetery as the one in which my great-grandmother’s body is buried.

*****

This country isn’t perfect, but its citizens constantly review its values and its culture. The changes have often been painful, however, the blueprint for change is part of our cultural mindset. That mindset was set in motion upon the founding of this country. I fly a flag proudly on this blog and in front of my home to show my love for that idea and, yes, my pride in having served. The flag in front of the house is so large that my neighbor, who flies a smaller flag in front of his home, jokingly said that he’s got to get a larger one to compete. He’s a black man in his seventies--I’m actually not sure of his age, but I think he’s too young to have been a WWII vet--undoubtedly possessing living memory of having not been allowed to buy the house in which he now lives; and he proudly displays his love of our country. How cool is that?

Those who have actually had to go to separate restrooms—or behind trees—know what real malice looks like. Those who have had shotguns and fire-hoses brandished at them know how much things have changed in this country. Those who have had the bodies of their loved ones turn up mutilated in bodies of water, can hold the rest of us—their younger family members—to a higher standard than they were able to meet. It would be understandable if most of them held a grudge. However, I think that long life has many benefits, the chief of which are being able to observe patterns, having perspective and being able to forgive.

Back In Da House

...is the Creator of Worlds. All praise is due.

Special Case

Rivrdog has problems with my public re-linking of Gut Rumbles.

No offense intended here ma'am, but what is the big deal about linking or de-linking? Blogging is simply the public expression of personal thought. If you find something that offends you, stop reading it and don't refer to it. Conversely, if you find something that you like, you can say so and or link to it.

I explained about linking and de-linking in the first paragraph of the post. You claim to have read it and re-read it, so I’ll only re-iterate this: Acidman is a special case (no pun intended).

You have no clue how much Rob and I have communicated before or after this incident; no clue as to how close (in on-line terms) we had become. You might have considered this, before you made your hasty judgment. My ego is large, but not so large that I don't consider that there may be factors in a situation that I don't know about.

The blogroll of a blog is not controlled by some pompous government regulation.

Really? Thanks for informing me of that. I had no idea that this wasn’t the case. /sarcasm

If you update your blogroll by adding to it or deleting from it, that is likewise a personal decision.

Alright. Since it’s obvious that you actually ignored this part, I’ll repeat it just for you. (It is really all about you, isn’t it?)

Generally, I don’t make a big to-do about linking or de-linking to a blog. If a blogger has a nice body of work, I’ll simply add it to the blogroll. Conversely, if a blogger hasn’t posted in a while, states his/her intent to quit blogging or the blog manifestly no longer exists, I’ll simply de-link the blog without comment (with one or two exceptions). I’ve only de-linked one blogger for cause.[SNIP]

So I quietly de-linked him and we handled our business in private. I hate unnecessary drama.

Rivrdog continues:

In evaluating the worth of a blog, I look to content only. Content is composed of the elements of creative concepts and writing proficiency.

That’s a fine standard to uphold. I try to use it as well. However, this situation had nothing to do with any of that. This was, and I repeat, a special case.

I view with suspicion any blogger who would make any kind of fuss, positive or negative, about linking or delinking another blog.

As do I, which is why I said nothing publicly during the mass de-linking. In this special case, however, I felt that, since Rob was so widely de-linked in public, that he should get the same for a re-linking, which goes against my usual policy, as I said in the first sentence of the first paragraph of the post in question.

That smacks of ego projection, which is NOT an essential element of writing.

It does if one ignores the special case elements of this situation, as you have done.

Rivrdog makes another attempt to show me the error of my ways.

I'm afraid you didn't get MY point, which was that decisions on linkng or delinking have zero to do with the content of one's blog, are simply housekeeping, and shouldn't require any discussion.

Since I agreed with this—spelled it out at the beginning of the post in question that I don’t normally make that decision in public, then implied there and spelled out here that this is a special case--what’s your point? Since I never said or implied that decisions involving linking or de-linking to a blog had anything to do with the quality or content of my blog, what’s your point?

Shakespeare said it best: Methinks you protesteth too much? (or similar).

Protesting what? Okay, I suck as a writer, my content stinks and my ego is too much for my readers to take. Any blog-reader would spend his/her on-line time better elsewhere.

Is that enough humility (hah!) for you, Rivrdog?

I’ve never claimed to be a great writer. I post, others read and make their judgment, one way or the other. If they like, I’m gratified. If not, I assume that most of them are intelligent enough to find the “door.”

If you’re trying to say that you don’t like my writing, just be direct about it. As you so sardonically pointed out, there’s no government regulation which directs you to read this blog.

I have a large ego, but not one so overblown that I would write to a blogger—either in public or private—telling him/her that I am suspicious of something he/she wrote. I am humble enough to suspect that he/she wouldn’t give a rat’s behind and would deserve it if he/she called me out in public, if I kept pushing it and kept ignoring the special case elements that went against the SOP of the blog in question. Under normal circumstances—unlike in this special case--if I don't like a blog, I simply don't read it or link to it. To repeat to some who cannot read and needs it constantly drilled into their heads, this is a special case.

Take the last line of your last comment and turn it around on yourself, sir. On the large ego score, I rate high; however, I defer to you.

Another One

After reading this column, I’m tempted to speculate on how the IQ of the average GI compares to that of the average NFL player, Pat Tillman—who brought honor to both professions—notwithstanding. Many enlisted military members are required to understand the intricacies of mechanics, electronics, information technology, foreign languages—well, you get the idea.

So, I won’t go there. Not there, in spite of the fact that someone like former NFL player Reggie Rivers insults the intelligence of the average military member:

Yes, our slaves [members of the Armed Forces] signed up of their own free will, but most of them were as misled about their job as the rest of us were about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.

We’re slaves, says he. I seem not to recall the instances in which a gun was put to my head or the times in which a whip was brandished at me to coerce me into enlisting and re-enlisting. Perhaps I need to take some memory-enhancing classes. Or maybe I need to brush up on the history of American slavery. Or maybe I need to do both, because I certainly don’t remember reading that American slaves signed contracts stipulating the terms of their servitude.

Surely, as a former member of the Denver Broncos, Mr. Rivers understands the concept of fulfilling the terms of a signed contract. Admittedly, my mind hasn’t been trained in legal matters. However, as I understand it, those who sign a contract are legally bound to its terms. At least the military members who’ve been invited to sign the enlistment contract can actually read it, which is more than can be said for many members of the NFL. Oops! Said I wasn’t going there.

However, it is apparent that Mr. Rivers can compose a column—assuming no one wrote it for him and asked him to sign his name to it. (Darn it! I keep going there. Practice self-control, Ochieng, practice.)

According to Chalmers Johnson, author of "The Sorrows of Empire," almost half of our enlisted forces are between 17 and 24 years of age, and they were lured into military service with promises of education, job training, escape from poverty, medical benefits and the chance to operate some cool, high-tech equipment.[SNIP]

The U.S. Army has an official video game that can be downloaded at www.americasarmy.com It's a recruiting tool aimed to win the hearts and minds of children of all ages. The goal is catch them before they develop critical thinking skills that might lead them to question the wisdom of volunteering for slavery.

So, assuming you’re past the age group in which no one could possibly join the military and have properly developed critical thinking skills, Mr. Rivers, when are you going to develop critical thinking skills? Too many hits to the head, maybe? Or maybe you think that going to “war” simply means to have a successful goal-line stand under the two-minute warning. Or is it possible that the words duty, honor and sacrifice only mean something to you when they involve millions of dollars?

They just want to go home, but they can't. And domestically, we continue to trot out the tired mantra that supporting the troops means supporting the war.

Yes, support us stupid tools, for we know not what we do.

Bite me, Clown. Court Jester. На хуй, блядъ. (Have one of your more educated friends translate that for you, Mr. Rivers. BTW, the military taught me that particular language.)

I’ve had enough of these condescending twits who think that no one could possibly be mentally competent and have an opinion different from theirs. You profane the memory of Pat Tillman and every other person who has given his/her life in defense of this country.

Happy Memorial Day to you, Mr. Rivers. Many of us in the military, present and past, have long memories.

(Now this is an example of intentional offense. In response to the last post, some people said I had class. Heh.)

UPDATE: Sgt Hook is far more eloquently than I.

Un-Banished

Generally, I don’t make a big to-do about linking or de-linking to a blog. If a blogger has a nice body of work, I’ll simply add it to the blogroll. Conversely, if a blogger hasn’t posted in a while, states his/her intent to quit blogging or the blog manifestly no longer exists, I’ll simply de-link the blog without comment (with one or two exceptions). I’ve only de-linked one blogger for cause.

Once upon a time, there was a mass de-linking of a popular blog. The post for which the de-linking occurred was indeed offensive, and, for me, personal. The sentiments expressed in that post I agreed with, to a point. However, the way it was expressed and the use of my blog to back it up were over-the-top. As we all know, one can express a thought in whatever manner one chooses. If they choose to be blunt—as I often am here—they can still choose the proper queue of words: straight-forward need not mean distasteful. The words used were racialist (to borrow Francis W. Porretto’s term). Now, I’m not one of those people who believes that the n-word coming out of any non-black person’s mouth is automatically a fighting word. If you’re using it to make a non-offensive point (as Francis does in the post linked, or as Mark Twain famously did), I’ve no problem with it.

To give a contrasting example, in Mr. Porretto’s post, he also uses the words “honky” and “ofay,” offensive terms for white people among black Americans. The blogger in question even consistently refers to himself as a “cracker.” I would never use those terms, except to make a specific point—as I am doing right here.

Before the posting the widely-denounced missive in question, this blogger had used the n-word to spell out specific, cogent points. That wasn’t the case in this post, however: it was used to intentionally inflame and it served its purpose indeed. Additionally, a link to my blog was used to back up its validity.

More even than having the n-word batted around carelessly, I hate being embarrassed in public or used for any purpose (without my permission), especially when it comes from someone I consider to be a friend. However, I usually won’t reciprocate the offense to that friend, even if the friend deserves it—not unless they push me.

So I quietly de-linked him and we handled our business in private. I hate unnecessary drama.

“A gentleman never gives offense intentionally,” Francis reminds us. (I thought that a gentleman never gave offense *unintentionally,* but either version is rhetorically useful.) Call it Christian charity, call it mercy, call it caring about someone who never claimed to be a gentleman, call it whatever the heck you want to call it. I am choosing to publicly re-link Gut Rumbles.

I don’t expect the crazy old buzzard to be grateful. I accept him as he is which, of course, doesn’t mean that I won’t call him on his BS when warranted. I may do it private, I may not. Does he deserve being re-linked? Heck, no. But who among us deserves anything we get?

Squeal Again

We’re nuts. Bloggers, that is (registration required).

For some, it [blogging] becomes an obsession. Such bloggers often feel compelled to write several times daily and feel anxious if they don't keep up. As they spend more time hunkered over their computers, they neglect family, friends and jobs. They blog at home, at work and on the road. They blog openly or sometimes, like Mr. Wiggins, quietly so as not to call attention to their habit.

Does that mean bloggers have become a protected class? Will there be a twelve-step program?

Of course, most of those millions are abandoned or, at best, maintained infrequently. For many bloggers, the novelty soon wears off and their persistence fades.

Ignore it, says the Gray Bag Lady. It'll go away. They don't have the stomach for it. It’s just a passing phase; like the 8-track tape. It’s a character flaw, a crutch for the lazy, too narcissistic to go out and get a real job; and on and on and on.

Suu-EEEEE!

(Thanks to Memeorandum)

Column Left

Former Vice President Albert Gore, Jr. recently made a rousing speech under the auspices of MoveOn.org and I’m having some problems with several aspects of this event, to understate the matter.

Isn’t former Vice President Gore supposed to be part of the mainstream Democratic Party? Wasn’t he once a hair’s breath away from being the President of the United States of America, the Commander-in-Chief of its Armed Forces? Didn’t he lose the last presidential election in a furiously-contested, judicially-decided race?

And, isn’t MoveOn.org a far Left organization?

Knowing, of course, that the answer to all of these rhetorical questions is in the affirmative, it was quite unnerving to hear the Deanian tone in which he delivered this speech (heard on Hugh Hewitt’s radio show). The unleashed hysteria in which he called for the resignation of the Secretary of Defense, the National Security Advisor, the CIA director, et alia, makes me shudder. Has he been angry, seething and furious all this time? Has he not put the election behind him? I don’t know. Watching him now, I think how former Vice President Gore might have reacted to adversity as POTUS, say, during an attack on the home soil.

And then there are the things that he actually said.

At first, I had planned to do a by-the-book fisking of the speech. Former Vice President Gore’s mischaracterization of the circumstances under which the Abu Ghraib abuses took place deserves a point-by-point refutation all on its own. However, I decided to take one part of it to comment upon, because it is symbolic of the whole thing. Amid the lies, half-truths and out-of-context truths with which he peppers his speech, one part of it stands out as a symptom of the problem. That problem is defined as such: denial.

He [President Bush] has exposed Americans abroad and Americans in every U.S. town and city to a greater danger of attack by terrorists because of his arrogance, willfulness, and bungling at stirring up hornet's nests that pose no threat whatsoever to us. And by then insulting the religion and culture and tradition of people in other countries. And by pursuing policies that have resulted in the deaths of thousands of innocent men, women and children, all of it done in our name.

President Bush said in his speech Monday night that the war in Iraq is "the central front in the war on terror." It's not the central front in the war on terror, but it has unfortunately become the central recruiting office for terrorists. [Dick Cheney said, "This war may last the rest of our lives.] The unpleasant truth is that President Bush's utter incompetence has made the world a far more dangerous place and dramatically increased the threat of terrorism against the United States. Just yesterday, the International Institute of Strategic Studies reported that the Iraq conflict " has arguable focused the energies and resources of Al Qaeda and its followers while diluting those of the global counterterrorism coalition." The ISS said that in the wake of the war in Iraq Al Qaeda now has more than 18,000 potential terrorists scattered around the world and the war in Iraq is swelling its ranks.

“hornet's nests that pose no threat whatsoever to us”

“the Iraq conflict " has arguable focused the energies and resources of Al Qaeda and its followers”

Were the attacks of September eleventh an example of Al Qaeda’s *unfocused* energies and resources? Did the “hornet's nests” demonstrate that they “pose[d] no threat whatsoever to us” on that day?

I am astonished by this speech.

I am frightened by the fact that a certain segment of our society sees President Bush and his cohorts as more of a threat to civilization than those who would convert us to Islam by the sword or destroy this country as an alternative.

And I am most frightened by the fact that someone like Albert Gore—for eight years and for one tedious month in the last part of 2000, inches from the presidency--chooses to be their champion.

UPDATE: Think I was exaggerating? Check this out.

(Thanks to Rachel Lucas)

Columns Right

A Little Interesting Reading From The Paid Pundits

Peggy Noonan documents the boo fest that author E.L. Doctorow incited, during his commencement address at Hofstra University in New York Why was he booed? He was booed for referring to President Bush as a liar. President Bush has fans in the great state of New York? Whoda thunk it?

And this quote from Hofstra faculty member is telling:

"I thought this was a totally appropriate place to talk about politics because that's the world our students are entering," sociology professor Cynthia Bogard told Newsday. "I only wish their parents had provided them a better role model."

Guess the indoctrination education didn’t work to well.

Michelle Malkin rips into the blogger known as the Washingtonienne, real name Jessica Cutler. For all you guys, a picture of this girl appears in this Washington Post article (registration required). She’s a very attractive girl, but it seems to me that a young woman with other things going for her besides her looks wouldn’t have to resort to the things she did to make ends meet, so to speak. Michelle herself should know.

And Dennis Prager contends that one sin is worse than all of the others: using God to justify what God has condemned. I can’t say better than he does:

When a secular person commits evil, it is surely evil, but it doesn't bring G-d and religion in disrepute. When a person commits evil in G-d's name, however, he destroys the greatest hope for goodness to prevail on earth — widespread belief in a G-d who demands goodness (ethical monotheism). There is nothing as evil as religious evil.

Three guesses to whom he is referring.

They Hate The Sunlight

...do the trolls.

Now here’s some witty repartee from sam:

f**k you ni**er

My nights will never be that cold.

Sigh. I don’t get any really interesting trolls. Just in case this one leaves its snail trail across your path, its IP address is 69.145.41.14. It’s probably posting from a library computer, but what the hey.

(I like to leave most troll droppings posted. You know, like keeping the pelt of some pestilent rodent you've killed nailed to the wall; a trophy.)

Snails and rodents. Am I mixing my metaphors? Well I'm having fun doing it, at any rate.

Speaking of witty repartee…

I know it’s difficult to listen to a viewpoint that different from one’s own. I have a tough time doing it myself. The main reason I started this blog is to have an outlet for my own viewpoints. Why would I need that, I hear you ask. I need it because a black conservative Republican gets interrupted, shouted down and has his/her views twisted so often that he/she learns to just keep quiet. We all saw a nationally televised example of the interrupting phenomenon during the Condoleezza Rice testimony before the 9/11 Inquisition Commission.

Well, keeping quiet isn’t my strong suit.

Of all the methods used to shut us runaway slaves up, the nastiest and most infuriating one is the ‘spin.’ When your ideological opponent is insufficiently armed for a head-to-head battle of wits and/or is dishonest and craven, he/she will take your words, twist them to his/her purposes and argue with that man made of straw, rather than you. But he/she will pretend it actually is you, and those who are less discerning will think that you’re the one that’s made of straw. In my forty-two years, I’ve seen it over and over again.

What do I do about it? I get angry for a few minutes. After I calm down, however, I laugh at the tactic and, if I’m in a particularly good mood, I might make gentle fun of the person.

But that’s only with the first offense. And only if I’m in a charitable mood. The way I handle such things when I’m OTR or just feeling generally froggy (as opposed to Froggy) can be demonstrated here on this blog.

*****

The reason I asked King Buzz to post here is because he is an ideological anomaly: a non-conservative military officer, one who hasn’t mouthed off while pushing papers (unlike yours truly). I also know that, while he is passionate about what he believes in, he is very intelligent. Lastly, and most importantly, I trust him. (BTW, he’s absent with leave from posting here. Considering what he does for a living, you can imagine that he’s quite busy just now.)

So when he posts his opinions here that are different from mine and/or controversial, keep this idea in mind: all beliefs, ideologies, theories, etc. should be examined and challenged. I asked King Buzz to set forth his beliefs, theories and ideologies here to help you to challenge yours and to help me to challenge my own.

I did it before, during my transformation from a Democrat to a Republican, but I don’t want to become stagnant. And, of course, Good Readers, I don’t want that for you.

And as for readers like sam, your short bus awaits.

Face First

This will look lovely on TV tonight.

CRAWFORD, Texas (Reuters) - President Bush (news - web sites) suffered minor abrasions after falling off a mountain bike while cycling on his Texas ranch on Saturday, the White House said.

The make-up artists will earn their money on this occasion.

President Bush will spell out his plans for Iraq (again) tonight at 5PM PST during a national-televised broadcast. I hope you have cable or a dish, because none of the free broadcasters will be carrying the transmission. The White House didn't ask them to. I wonder whether any other president has ever had to ask the Big Three to carry his major prime-time speeches.

(Thanks to LGF)

UPDATE: Great make-up job.

The speech was pretty decent as well. The president put forth the same Iraq agenda to the public that those of us who have been paying close attention already knew much about. No wonder the major networks didn't bother to broadcast it.

I watched the speech on C-SPAN on my monitor. The calls taken afterward were reassuring and frightening.

UPDATE TWO: I heard a rumor that all free networks here in LA--except for NBC--did broadcast the speech.

Madonna and Children

Now isn’t this something?

MADONNA has axed three gigs in Israel — after terrorists threatened to kill her and her kids. [SNIP]

She first planned to defy the extremists but cancelled after the unnamed Palestinian group mentioned details about Lourdes, seven, and three-year-old Rocco in a series of threatening letters.

Just the other morning there was an entertainment blurb on Fox News about Madonna’s upcoming tour, dubbed “The Re-invention” tour, which supposedly will feature half-clad pregnant women in her chorus line for the song “Papa Don’t Preach,” and a little reenactment of her Sapphic escapades with Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera. Charming. Apparently, however, the terrorists are having none of that.

“She thought she was being targeted because of her Jewish Kabbalah religion. But this group were [sic] threatening her because she represents many things they hate about the West.”

And, that what it’s all about. It’s about the difference between us and them. In this society, the Madonnas, the Spearses and the Aguileras of the world are liked by some, held in disgust by others, but allowed to choose their own path. Whatever we might think of them or even say out loud about them, most of us wouldn’t dream of getting in the way of them conducting their lives in the manner in which they see fit. And, if some were to try, the law of the land would intervene, and the greater society would applaud. In yet other societies, however, such women are raped, beheaded and/or blown up and the bodies of their children are piled on top of theirs in mass graves. And, in the greater portion of such societies, this would be considered justice.

Why do they hate us? They hate us for our freedom. It is this fact that must be hammered home again and again, rhetorically. Most of us will figure it out, one way or another. I fear that it will take *that other* way for a good portion of us to get it, however.

I wonder if this incident will make Ms. Ciccone appreciate the country of her birth a bit more. Time will tell.

Tough and Tender

That Esmay guy always gets me to thinking. I think I’ll adopt him and the Queen as my auxiliary parents (even though they’re both several years my junior.)

A few weeks back, in the wake of the first Abu Ghraib pictures being made public, Dean pointed his readers to a blogger that was presiding over a discussion of whether women belong in the military or not. I waded in for a bit until a ridiculous discussion ensued concerning whether women would have enough room in their packs for ammunition since their “dainties” would allegedly take up so much space. As many know, I have little tolerance for bovine excrement; I left the commenters to their devices.

The Hyena Press

I think these two missives qualify as rants, at least under Thomas Sowell's exacting standard.

(Thanks to La Shawn Barber, who has lots of other excellent posts on her blog)

Contrasts

Losing a young family member, especially offspring, tends to bring out the true character of a person. Having no offspring of my own, I’m loath to pass any judgment on the response of any parent to the loss of his/her child. I only contrast two examples of how such a loss can be viewed.

I will say this: losing a child often brings out hidden (or not-so-hidden) character traits in a person. A jerk doesn’t necessarily stop being a jerk when tragedy befalls; likewise with an honorable person. Additionally the character of the bereaved can undergo radical change after such a devastating loss, for the better or for the worse. I wonder how--or if--such was the case for either of the following two people. I only hope and pray that I never have to be in their position.

From Michael Berg, father of Nicholas Berg, infamously slaughtered by Islamists:

People ask me why I focus on putting the blame for my son's tragic and atrocious end on the Bush administration. They ask: "Don't you blame the five men who killed him?" I have answered that I blame them no more or less than the Bush administration, but I am wrong: I am sure, knowing my son, that somewhere during their association with him these men became aware of what an extraordinary man my son was. I take comfort that when they did the awful thing they did, they weren't quite as in to it as they might have been. I am sure that they came to admire him.

I am sure that the one who wielded the knife felt Nick's breath on his hand and knew that he had a real human being there. I am sure that the others looked into my son's eyes and got at least a glimmer of what the rest of the world sees. And I am sure that these murderers, for just a brief moment, did not like what they were doing.

From Eva Savage, mother of Marine Lance Corporal Jeremiah Savage, KIA in Iraq:

My son could work at McDonald's and he could get killed by somebody coming in with a gun for the money in the till. He could be driving a car and get hit and be killed. He could walk across the street and be shot. If he dies as a Marine in another country fighting for what he believes in, then he's died with honor and I'm going to hold onto that.

Lance Corporal Savage was also the nephew of blogger DizzyGirl. Please go and give her your condolences on her loss.

(Thanks to Jeff Jarvis and Blackfive)

Reaching For It

In my slacking off from posting this week, I managed to reach 200,000 hits somehow, according to the Typepad counter.

I thank you all for being interested in what I have to say.

This has been a momentous week. There’s nothing like seeing your life flash before your eyes to give you a little focus. I will get back on an airplane soon, as faithful reader Sharona exhorts me to do. (Read about her brush with aircraft disaster in the comments to that post).

I had been ruminating on how short life is even before this week’s event. Between the casualties of the Iraq War, the terrorist attacks all over, the threats of new ones looming on the horizon, the heroic death--and heroic life--of Patrick Tillman and the gruesome murder of Nicholas Berg, I had been thinking about how to maximize the quality of the short time allotted to me on this planet.

I have a tendency to be a slacker. Oh sure, I talk a good game, but I have to publicly make that admission. No longer. Any professional and personal goals that I have will be actively pursued. I’ll take no for an answer, but not the final one.

So if you come here and I’ve been a little lax in posting, don’t worry, I haven’t stopped. I’m just going after whatever brass rings there are for me to have in this world, but keeping in mind—especially after this week—that I also have to prepare myself for the next world.

Thanks

Hey. Now that I’ve expressed how happy I am to be alive, I want to thank those who agreed with that sentiment. Not being dead is good. Being appreciated is the icing. Time to make things count.

*****

From a guy who writes great things as a matter of course, great insight:

Sometimes a man with too broad a perspective reveals himself as having no real perspective at all. A man who tries too hard to see every side may be a man who is trying to avoid choosing any side. A man who tries too hard to seek a deeper truth may be trying to hide from the truth he already knows.

Baldilocks translation: grow a pair and stand for something.

Solid Ground

You’ve got plans, you’ve got schemes. You act to implement them. Or try to.

So you get on a military aircraft. It’s free for you, since you’re a military retiree.

But all it takes is one little instance of clarity to make you re-think your plans. All it takes is having to put on an aircraft oxygen mask for the first time after countless instances of flying. All it takes is feeling the aircraft that you’re on drop out of the sky like a leaden gray lawn dart, while you’re calling on the Lord like you’ve never called on Him before; audibly and in front of other people.

All it takes is to feel the aircraft finally level off as you’re thanking the Lord in advance for putting you on the ground safely and in one piece.

Then, minutes later, you’re on the ground safely and in one piece.

I’m sure many people have called on God in such situations and still died. I know Todd Beamer did. I know also that misfortunes fall on the just and the unjust alike.

I don’t know why I’m still here to type this, but I am.

I don’t claim to know the mind of God. All I do know is that this one particular plan—me not dying today in a plane crash—was in agreement with His plan. All of my other plans will be taken under much more stringent advisement.

I’m happy and thankful to be home.

Traveling

I'm on the "road" again. I may drop a post or two in the next few days, however.

Left Wins

Just kidding. Sort of.

Wretchard writes interesting, informative, Den Bestian-length missives on the War on Terror. His lastest amounts to this: it’s the information, stupid, and the Right side of the political spectrum is at a disadvantage in that that war.

Did Rumsfeld Give the Orders?

Hersch says it’s true. Five-sided building occupants say it’s bovine excrement.

I say that there are a lot of unnamed sources in this one, which is understandable considering the agencies talked about here. I also say that it reads like a spy movie. A bad one.

Be that as it may, did anyone notice that there's a war going on?

Mixed Marriage

Senator John McCain (R-AZ) has adamantly refuted any speculation that he might be John Kerry’s running mate in this year’s presidential election. Well, good on him.

Some have suggested that batting around the idea of this pairing was a way to torment the president. Hmmm, okay. The speculation strikes me as nice way for Democrats to waste their time. George Bush doesn’t strike me as a guy who worries about things he can’t change. As for John McCain, he might be a bit off the wall, but for some Democrats to suggest that he would join forces with Senator Kerry tells me that these Democrats are very short-sighted. No surprise there.

As the co-chair in his home state for the Re-elect Bush Campaign, John McCain isn’t stupid enough to make himself look like a Benedict Arnold, especially for a candidate like John Kerry—one who can’t even capitalize on the lowest approval ratings of President Bush’s term.

If anything, the speculation of a Kerry-McCain ticket makes the Democrats look weak and rudderless: they can’t even find one of their own that qualifies for the admittedly meaningless role of VP. I would assume that there are two main qualifications: 1) strengthen the ticket (someone who’s right-leaning than Senator Kerry, which is just about every Democrat, save Dennis Kucinich), and 2) be willing to run with the senator in this contest. New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson would be an excellent candidate--he's a "minority" to boot--but the governor has already declined.

Tick-tock, tick-tock. Time’s a-wasting, Democrats.

(Thanks to Lucianne.com)

Fun Stuff

The imbecilic may be part of a protected class, but they sure aren’t members of a minority group.
(Thanks to Mr. Green)

If anything can crack you up after seeing (and hearing) the things that have transpired in the last few days (weeks, years, decade), it’s this. It’s even relevant. (Thanks to John of Argghh!!)

Nykola jumps ugly (for her) on a telemarketer.

And, Jeff has a photo that just has to be seen to be appreciated. The captions are funnier than the picture, of course.

Thanks, folks. I needed to laugh.

Serious Stuff

Donald Sensing indicates the levels of (in)competence with which the United Nations has handled situations under its purview. And that’s not counting the Oil-for-Food free-for all.

Roger Simon has more Abu Ghraib abuse pictures. They’re scandalous, but they aren’t what you’d expect.

(Thanks to Glenn Reynolds for both links)

The Laughing Wolf prays for the enemies that hide their tracks too well to be preyed upon.

And Jeff Jarvis points out--as many others have--what (else) Nick Berg and Daniel Pearl had in common.

Bremer says U.S. will leave Iraq if new government asks (King Buzz)

This is asinine. We've expended in excess of $100B, suffered thousands of casualties, thrown our reputation and national honor on the line and we're going to leave if the new provisional government asks us to? As someone who has served in Iraq, I can't imagine anything more ridiculous. We leave when there is a sufficiently stable government in place and not one minute before. To suggest that any other course of action is acceptable is irresponsible to the point of being criminal.

Conjuring images of "mushroom clouds" over the U.S. and using the inaccurate claims of the imminent threat of Iraqi WMD, the current administration used our military to invade a country and remove its government. Now, in the resulting chaos that has enflamed the Middle East and turned the world against us, we say we'll walk away, if asked. If we walk away now, we will only leave behind a danger to America that Saddam could only dream of becoming.

There was no credible Al Qaida-Iraq link before the war, but there sure is now. I was opposed to the invasion of Iraq since it was proposed in 2002, but now that we're there, we have a responsibility to both the American and Iraqi people to stay there until a stable and secure government is in place; no if's, and's or but's about it. Leaving a weak and unstable government in power will give the terrorists fertile ground in which to recruit, rearm, and replenish their funds. It would be the second major mis-step in losing the War on Terrorism (the first being invading Iraq in the first place, when we should have been concentrating on finishing what we started in Afghanistan).

I recommend that you write your Senator or Representative and ask that they not allow a pullout from Iraq until the job is finished, irrespective of what any appointed, provisional, interim "government" in Iraq might say.

Crunch Time

Often, when I hear of a person dying a horrible death, be it alone or surrounded by his/her killers, it isn’t the physical pain that I imagine so much, but the emotional state of the dying. Dare we wonder at the despair of dying alone?

An acquaintance of my family--whom I had never met--had been a heroin addict but had been clean for some time. Due to an emotional trauma he experienced, however, he had his first fix in quite some time. As it turns out, it was his last: he overdosed and the opiate stopped his heart.

When my mother told me about this man—a good man, from all accounts—I cried and cried as if he were my brother and I wondered at my tears. But as I looked at my feelings squarely, I knew what it was that made me nearly inconsolable for weeks.

I had never met this guy—he was a friend of one of my sisters--but his death horrified me; not the manner of it so much but the despair inherent in it. He died, likely in no control of his mental faculties and with no hope. Betrayed.

People whose lives end at the hands of some agent of evil must feel a similar lack of control. At such a moment, to whom do these people give control of themselves? Oh, yes, of course, their bodies are at the mercy of the knife-wielder, the hands of the strangler, the laws of physics and their own threshold of pain. That’s not what I’m talking about.

Do such people cede their souls to God in the last moments? Or do they repudiate Him for His perceived betrayal in their anger and despair? Do their minds flash back to that moment that everyone has had? That moment of childhood terror when one fears that mommy and daddy have abandoned them? In such a moment, would one feel that God—the ultimate parent—has taken a powder?

I can’t see why one wouldn’t think that. That’s why maintaining the belief that God is watching over you--especially when you’re heading into the next life at the hands of the agents of The Opposing Team--is such a strong act of Faith.

I’ve written here about my manageable bouts with depression. Dying without hope seems to me to be the ultimate in depression: falling into the dark place in which there is no hope to be had and no hope of escape. I pray that it didn’t happen for Nick Berg or any of the others.

Frankly, I don’t wish that fate on my worst enemy.

(Thanks to Francis W. Porretto for the inspiration)

Equal Time

I suppose that this will make things even-steven. I hope that the person who leaked the Iraqi POW abuse photos to the media is satisfied. Releasing the photos didn't cause the investigation to be started, didn't speed it up. Those things were already occuring. But releasing them did accomplish something. And that, of course, is all that matters. Right?

Question: will the media splash the pictures of the grisly death of Nick Berg all across the land? Just asking.

Antidotal Anecdotes

You getting discouraged, right?

Likely, you’re tired of reading about the skeeza in the Army who’s too dumb to know that’s it’s morally wrong, repugnant and illegal to humiliate prisoners and too dumb to use birth control properly.

Likely, you’re tired of reading about her paramour, the ne'er-do-well in the Army that failed in the raising of his other children so miserably that his ex-wife has had restraining orders against him; whose civilian boss reprimanded him over and over again.

(Is it any wonder that there are so many stupid people in the world?)

Well, chins up. BlackFive has a series chronicling some of the heroes—yes, heroes—of Operation Iraqi Freedom. And, in spite of the way it may seem, the heroes far outnumber the scum (just to give the situation some perspective).

The Paratrooper of Love is making sure that at least some of us get to read about men like these:

1st Lieutenant Brian Chontosh

Capt. Dominique B. Neal

Chief Warrant Officer Dave Williams (yes, that CWO Dave Williams)

Gentlemen like these represent our military, not the scum. Keep that in mind as the howling for scalps rages on.

Nice Chest

I once promised a blogger—who shall remain nameless—that I’d show him my rack. (How we got on that subject is beyond me.) Alas, I don’t have any really good pictures of my rack in its present state. However, in compensation, I do have a photo of a rack that is larger and far more impressive than mine. Here it is.

(Thanks to King Buzz, the owner of the rack)

Visiting the Matriarch

Yesterday, my great-aunt and I went to put flowers on my great-grandmother’s—her mother’s—grave at an old cemetery on Central Avenue in Compton. She wanted to go yesterday to avoid the crowds speeding to Sunday brunch and to avoid missing her beloved Lakers on the tube.

We had a little trouble finding it because we hadn’t been out there in over a year. All tombstones look alike (these are the type that are embedded in the ground).

Finally, we found it and it wasn’t all overgrown with weeds and crabgrass the way it has been on occasion. The entire cemetery was much better maintained than it had been in previous years. I think that the ownership has changed. (I hope Granny's still buried there.)

There was the simple stone: “Beloved Mother, Maggie Mayes, 1889-1966.” We had to dig around and soak the cup to get the mud out of it. My aunt had cut some roses from her garden and we set them in the cup. She held back one rose to put on the grave stone of her older sisters--buried together in another plot some distance away, but much easier to find—in the same cemetery.

I wonder what it must be like for my eighty-two-year-old aunt, with so many of those she loves gone: her parents, most of her seven siblings (one left: my grandmother), her ex-husband and most of her old friends. I wonder what it must be like for her to know that she’s beyond her own promised three score and seven.

You’d think, however, that with all of that death surrounding us that we’d be a little depressed. But, as always, we come away from “visiting” Granny in high spirits, laughing and joking. Funny, how that works.

I Me My

100 things about this blogger? Well there are 100 things about me I could post, but there are quite a few of them that I’d prefer to keep to myself and even more things that are just plain too boring. So I picked out 30 things about me (and my family) that a reader might find interesting. Don’t blame me! Dean put the idea in my head. (That, my friends, is how you shirk responsibility for your actions.)

This list will be posted to my “About Me” page when I get around to it.

No-Air America

I guess this venture was fueled more on zeal and emotion rather than good planning and—judging by the few broadcasts I was able to endure—talent.

The chairman and vice chairman of Air America Radio have resigned, dealing the latest setback to the fledgling liberal radio network headlined by comedian and author Al Franken.

The departures of Evan Cohen and his investment partner Rex Sorensen came just one week after the company said that co-founder Mark Walsh had stepped down as CEO to take a smaller role at the company. Last week the company also said it had forced out David Logan as head of programming.

I wonder what the bank fees are for one million dollars worth of hot checks. (Don’t they put some people in jail for fraud for this sort of thing? Oh wait. Nevermind.) Then again, it’s probably better for all my systems if I leave such a thing to someone else’s imagination.

Another evil corporation mismanages its money, puts out an inferior product and goes under. ;-)

Can You Say Filibuster?

Say Donald Rumsfeld resigns or is asked to do so. (Highly unlikely, I know. But humor me.) What are the chances of the US having a new SecDef confirmed by the Senate between that hypothetical date and January 20, 2005?

Surveying the Scene

Evil Right-Wing Fantasy: what if Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld resigned, Vice President Dick Cheney resigned and they just switched jobs? The howls of horror would be almost as hilarious to hear as those that resulted from Turkey-Gate.

My jokes are to lighten the mood a little, not to diminish the seriousness of the abuse “allegations” in the Coalition POW camp Abu Ghraib, however. Donald Rumsfeld definitely made a mistake by not telling the president the extent of the abuses there. No ‘buts.’ Never let your boss be surprised. You always keep your superior advised of incidents as serious as these appear to be.

Is this mistake a firing offense? Yes. But if President Bush decides not to do so—which it appears he has—what is lost? Who will praise the Bush Administration for the termination of a demonstrably competent—but not perfect—SecDef? The Democrats? Whatever. The Islamic Street? Triple whatever. Unless Mr. Rumfeld did, sanctioned or covered up the crimes or allowed the accused to continue to perpetrate their acts or to walk, or set policy in motion facilitating the crimes, his offense doesn't merit the hysteria coming from the other party. And it is my belief that there is a considerable portion of the Islamic world that will hate us no matter what we do. After all, had we invaded any Islamic country when 9/11 occured?

Will the sacrifice of Donald Rumsfeld’s job on the altar of….can’t think of what altar it would be…anyway, would the SecDef getting the boot solve any problems that aren’t already being solved? The prison guards were removed and were being investigated four months ago. Criminal charges have been filed. The Iraqis have been released and—hopefully—will be given some form of restitution. One man (registration required) says that he doesn’t think that all Americans are like the ones who abused him and that he wouldn’t mind coming to the US (hopefully not for a little payback). President Bush has done penance before two interviewers for Arab television stations.

In short, can anything be gained by the “resignation” of Donald Rumsfeld? I say nothing can be. The Democrats, emboldened, will find something else to get the administration on. Granted, some heat is deserved. But GIs, like the rest of humanity, have been committing crimes, large and small—and at lower rates than the rest of the nation--and military authorities have been quietly ensuring that justice was done for some time before this uproar and all the civilian oversight in the world won't stop that from happening. (You want a perfectly obedient military? Build android soldiers. Or addict the human ones to some opiate.) The pictures are the only reason that the idea of Mr. Rumsfeld’s resignation is being bandied about.

If the pictures didn’t exist or had never come into the public eye, what would not be happening right now that should be? People would be clucking their tongues and would want to know if the wheels of military justice were turning. Satisfied that they were, most would MoveOn. The story would be pretty incendiary to start with. However, the pictures make it nuclear. Perhaps CBS calculated that this would happen.

I’m being generous.

I think that a Rumsfeld resignation would worsen things for war prosecution purposes. Not political purposes, but war purposes. Justice is being administered, apologies are being tendered. Rolling over on one's back, however, would be lethal, figuratively and literally.

UPDATE: Greyhawk has the timeline of events leading up to the media exposure of the abuse photos.

Rules of Engagement

How to Argue Like a Civilized Person by Frank J.

DON'T punch the other person through the chest, pull out his heart, and show it to him before he dies when you feel run into a corner.

Sigh. But it’s so much fun! Okay, I’ll stop.

I suppose handing one his/her backside is out of the question as well.

Straining Out A Gnat

What international law amounts to:

Sudan won an uncontested election Tuesday to the United Nations (news - web sites)' main human rights watchdog, prompting the United States to walk out because of alleged ethnic cleansing in the country's Darfur region.

Millions of non-Muslim black Africans “ethnically cleansed” by the Muslim Sudanese in power in that land and this is their earthly reward?

Sudan's envoy immediately shot back that the U.S. delegation was "shedding crocodile tears," and he accused the United States of turning a blind eye as Iraqi prisoners were mistreated and civilians were harmed in battle.

Welcome to the world of moral equivalence, in which, abuse of a few prisoners by a few members of a vast military and the genocide of millions amount to the same thing.

Sudan's deputy U.N. ambassador, Omar Bashir Mohamed Manis, said the United States had no right to accuse anyone of human rights violations, after allegations of abuses in Iraq (news - web sites) including mistreatment of Iraqis held in U.S.-run prisons

Images of the Iraqi prisoners "are fresh in the minds of all justice-loving people around the world," he said.

Let’s see you punish the perpetrators of your crimes the way we have punished and will punish the perpetrators of ours and then we’ll compare notes, you stinking, mealy-mouthed, mass-murdering hypocrite!

Let one group of the protected slaughter the other en masse and it’s “ho hum” from the arbiters of international justice. But let a few members of the US military commit criminal acts that don’t result in death and do result in punishment for the perpetrators and it’s the flocking crime of the century.

Perhaps the UN doesn't expect much from "savages." Maybe it thinks the world would be a better place with fewer "savages" in it. Perhaps it's rewarding other "savages" for doing its dirty work. Just speculating.

(Thanks to LGF)

So How Was Your Morning?

This morning in the gym, as I was just about to do my shoulder workout, I noticed an unattended backpack in the corner. Calculating that it was highly unlikely that someone would try to blow up the base gym—the Sergeant Asan Akbars of the world notwithstanding--I did my set. As I was about to do another, however, a cell phone inside the backpack started ringing. I dropped my weights and backed away from the bag quickly (as if I still wouldn’t be literal toast were the pack to blow up right then).

As I was headed toward the emergency exit, I could, in those few seconds, see the looks of alarm on the faces of the other gym patrons. Finally, after an eternity (about five seconds), a heavily muscled Army guy says, “it’s mine! Sorry about that.”

Muscle head! I left minutes later, just in case he changed his mind.

UPDATE: Just minutes ago, a whack-job girlfriend of a male friend of mine called here wanting to know if I was have sexual relations with her boyfriend. The answer was a truthful and an....um...emphatic no.

Wow! I haven't had fun stuff like that happen in years! I'm feeling young.

It's a good day.

The Asset-Covering Starts

Many military members thought that, while Lieutenant Colonel Allen B. West deserved light punishment for his actions, he still did indeed deserve punishment (which he received). The reasons?

1) What he (and his men) did was wrong and illegal.
2) Letting such incidents go unpunished would be harmful to the 'good order and discipline' that our military values so highly.

The reasons LtC West received lenient punishment (as he should have) are:

1) LtC West immediately took responsibility for himself and the actions of the men under his command. He turned himself in.
2) Arguably, the actions were perpetrated to save lives.
3) There was no aggravating factor to the incident.

Well, as we now know, some didn't catch the hint.

Contrast this command with that of one General Janis Karpinski.

1) What her subordinates did was wrong and disgusting. Perverted.
2) She disavows knowledge of the actions of the men and women under her command and blames it on Military Intelligence.

The Army Reserve commander who oversaw the prison said that military intelligence, rather than the military police, dictated the treatment of prisoners at Abu Ghraib. "The prison, and that particular cellblock where the events took place, were under the control of the MI command," Brig. Gen. Janis L. Karpinski said in a telephone interview Saturday night from her home in Hilton Head, S.C.

Now MI may indeed be to blame. But I question the judgment of a general who would whine about it in a public interview, rather than take her lumps and say “all will be revealed directly” or something like that.

"I hadn't been included, I hadn't been informed, and I knew nothing," she [General Karpinski] said.

3) Someone else—another soldier--had to drop the dime about the state of the prisons in Iraq.

If there’s one thing the military hates more than being embarrassed and shamed by some of their own, it’s a weasel who attempts to shed responsibility when the feces hits the fan. That trait is especially stomach-churning to observe in higher-ups.

*****

And what is this contradictory horse manure?

In an e-mail, a commissioned officer in the unit, the 372nd Military Police Company, based in Cumberland, Md., acknowledged that the abuses had occurred but attributed them to a far-reaching failure in leadership.
"I won't defend my soldiers," the officer wrote, on the condition of anonymity. "They knew better."

If they knew better, why didn’t you take some disciplinary action, Sir?

The officer added: "I am extremely disappointed in the way the Army has handled the entire situation and feel the leadership has been made the scapegoat for a few individuals. I think the leadership problems go much higher than the brigade commander."

Is this the type of officer corps the troops are subject to these days? Yes there are leadership problems, starting with you, Sir. You lead your troops, not the other way around.

It’s becoming clear that the monsters who perpetrated the abuse on the Iraqis weren’t the only ones in need of “training.”

Butt Out, UN

I think I’m going to have Thai food for dinner this evening. Just so I can keep thinking of this story and grinning while enjoying a pleasant meal.

Thailand's leader shrugged off international criticism of his government's crackdown on suspected Islamic militants, saying in speech to the nation Saturday that he had no choice but to use overwhelming force.

More than 100 suspected militants — mostly young men wielding machetes — were killed Wednesday when they attacked police and army posts in pre-dawn raids in three southern provinces. Three police and two soldiers were also killed.

On Friday, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights demanded that Thailand investigate the killings, citing treaties that require security forces to refrain from using excessive force.

International and local human rights groups have also called for investigations.

Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra responded with defiance.

"Please don't intervene. Please leave us alone," he said in a radio address Saturday.

"It is my job and we can cope with this matter. We are trying to explain this to foreigners. But if they do not understand or ignore our explanation, I don't care because we are not begging them for food," Thaksin said. [Bold mine]

(Thanks to LGF)